APLU President Becker to Depart Association at End of Year

Washington, DC – Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) President Mark Becker today announced he will depart the association at the end of 2024.

“This decision is a significant departure from what I planned when I assumed my role at APLU in 2022, and it is one that I have considered thoroughly and with due deliberation,” Becker said. “I am in good health, and at the same time recent life events have led me to the conclusion that I need to devote more time to my health and family.”

“Mark Becker has been a strong and effective leader for APLU and we greatly appreciate his leadership of the association during a critical period of time for public higher education,” said Makola Abdullah, Chair of the APLU Board of Directors and President of Virginia State University. “While we wish he were not going to depart at the end of this year, we respect that this is a personal decision and wish him the very best. The Board of Directors will immediately begin the search process to find Mark’s successor. We are fortunate that whoever becomes the next president of APLU will be stepping into lead an effective and vibrant organization thanks to Mark’s work and that of the entire APLU team.”  

Before coming to APLU, Becker most recently served for a dozen years as President of Georgia State University where he put the institution on the map as a national leader in higher education innovation, driving massive gains in retention and degrees awarded, while eliminating equity gaps. Prior to the Georgia State University presidency, Becker served as Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of South Carolina from 2004 to 2008. He served as Dean and later Assistant Vice President for Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. He began his career with fellowships, post-doctoral appointments, and faculty positions at Cornell University, the University of Washington, University of Florida, and University of Michigan.

Becker noted, “My entire adult life has been tied to APLU. Starting as a graduate student at The Pennsylvania State University in September 1980, I have been employed by an APLU institution or APLU itself ever since. It has been an amazing journey, providing me with opportunities and relationships that would have been beyond my comprehension at the beginning. I carry the ethos of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts in my veins, and I believe with the firmest of convictions that APLU and our members are vitally important to the future of our nation.”